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Pentagon withdraws $300M in funding to Pakistan's military

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The U.S. Department of Defense announced it has suspended $300 milllion in military funding to Pakistan due to a failure to effectively combat terrorist groups in the country. Secretary of Defense Mike Pompeo is set to visit the Pakistan capital of Islamabad next week. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI

By Daniel Uria, UPI

The U.S. Department of Defense suspended $300 milllion in military funding to Pakistan, citing the country's failure to suppress militant groups.

Pentagon spokesman Koné Faulkner said Saturday that the agency suspend the funding to the Coalition Support Fund, which reimburses Pakistan's military for fighting against terrorists.

"Due to a lack of decisive actions in support of the South Asia strategy, the remaining $300 million was reprogrammed," he said.

Faulkner added the funds would be redistributed to other "urgent priorities," pending congressional approval.

In January, Defense Secretary James Mattis said the Pentagon suspended $1 billion in aid to Pakistan for failing to effectively combat the Haqqani terrorist network.

At the time the Pentagon offered to restore funding if Pakistan took "decisive action" against the terrorist group, but Saturday's announcement officially withdrew that offer.

"Our expectations are straightforward: Taliban and Haqqani leadership and attack planners should no longer be able to find safe haven or conduct operations from Pakistani soil," Army Col. Robert Manning, director of defense press operations at the Pentagon, said in January.

The announcement comes ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's trip to Pakistan's capital of Islamabad scheduled for Wednesday.